The recent release of Big Boi Presents: Volume II is not what I was expecting from one of the producing minds of SpeakerBoxx, The Love Below, and Stankonia. Although the album does a great job of getting multiple artists working in collaboration while handing them all free tickets to instant recognition through working with the Boi, the energy and quality of the album is inconsistent at best.
The problem is most noticeable when everything tries to slow down or speed up a bit. Slower, more ‘r&b’ soul songs on the album seem to be lacking the story content usually found in these songs. Instead, they go nowhere.
A few songs attempt to bring the pace up to a B.O.B. (Bombs over Baghdad) pace, but once again something seems to be missing. Fill-in rappers tend to seem offbeat and voices off key when attempting to keep up with the frantic pace, making us wish they would leave that stuff to Andre 3K.
Although the ‘miss’ songs are quite obvious, the hits are most certainly there. Big Boi’s Production style seems to heavily favor the club anthem beats and chillhouse atmosphere. Big bass and fat loops allow for the head-bobbin’ action that usually signifies a ‘hell-yeah’ kind of feel that keeps you coming back to an artist. Overall, Big Boi would do better in trusting his own skills and forgoing the crew of guest stars. Overall, I’d give this album a 6 out of 10 tickets (for disturbing the peace).